Five Things on Friday: Recipes I’ve Tried

I have a Pinterest board filled with delicious looking recipes. Today I wanted to share five recipes that I have actually made and enjoyed (there have been a few that did not live up to my expectations).

If you are interested in any of these recipes, please click on the image and pin from the original source.

1.  BLT Pinwheels

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These are delicious! We have eaten them three times since I pinned this recipe with two modifications – no sun-dried tomatoes (but the wrap is already tomato-basil) and full pieces of bacon instead of bacon bits.  I never would have thought that cream cheese and mayonnaise would be so great together.

2. Three Ingredient Berry Cobbler

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I have tested out a few of these dump cake recipes with varying success. I didn’t pick this recipe for the diet factor but because it had been repinned quite a bit.

I made this for Canada Day dessert using several bags of frozen fruit and one and a half cans of 7-Up. We don’t drink a lot of pop here but ended up with four cans from a pizza order.

If you make this, be sure to cover all of the cake mix with the pop (that’s where the extra half can came into play) and expect it to cook for at least twice as long as they say!

3. Brown Sugar & Dijon Glazed Pork Loin

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Probably the easiest non-crock pot pork dinner we have ever cooked. Juicy, flavourful . . . mmm. I can’t wait for pork loin to go on sale so that we can have this again!

4. Toffee Poke Cake

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This was an early Father’s Day dessert to be shared by 5 people. There were lots of leftovers for everyone, even with seconds. Incredibly easy to make and just as delectable as it looks. I look forward to trying it with other “poke” flavours.

5. Peanut Butter Confetti Cake

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Loosen your belt and undo your top button. These are SO decadent. 

Mr. Mechanic’s Mom always adds these to her baking care packages and they don’t last long. I thought they would be much harder to make than they are.

Follow Jo-Anna’s advice – let the mixture cool a bit before adding your marshmallows. My advice? Use a 9 x 13 pan instead of an 8 x 8. A little square goes a long way!

So, now you’ve got some options for your weekend meals!  Have you found any great recipes via Pinterest?

P.S. Check out two recipes of my own that I have shared – an Iced Cappuccino Protein Smoothie and Tuna Pasta Salad

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I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Someday Crafts, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, Unrefined By Design, Dragonfly Designs, Just Us Four, Liz Marie Blog and The Crafted Sparrow

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{Recipe}: Tuna Pasta Salad

Today, I thought I’d share a yummy recipe that even Mr. Mechanic will eat (he refuses to eat anything seafood related). It was passed onto us by Mr. M’s Mom and has been a favourite for years.

What I love most about this pasta salad is that the dressing only requires condiments that you’d already have for hamburgers and hotdogs.

I like simple recipes and this is definitely a great one for a hot day. This is usually my go-to recipe if I have to bring something to a summer potluck.

Here’s what you need:

• Pasta (I always use two boxes – it’s great for leftovers)
• 2 cans of tuna
• Celery and/or red pepper (for crunch)
• Black pepper
• Paprika (I’ve never added this but it is in the original recipe)
• Green relish
• Miracle Whip (we’ve tried Mayonnaise and it doesn’t have the same “zip”)
• Mustard

The How To:

Chop your vegetables.

Drain the tuna.

Mix together in a large bowl.

Cook your pasta in salted water, drain and rinse with cold water.

Add your pasta to this mixture.

Toss with dressing.

To Make the Dressing (I triple this!)

Mix together . . .

• 1/2 cup of Miracle Whip
• 2 tablespoons relish
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• Pepper to taste

(Mr. Mechanic likes to also add a spoonful of dill pickle relish to his salad)

When we eat the leftovers we always add a bit more Miracle Whip.

This keeps well for several days in an airtight container (but it rarely lasts that long!)

Do you have any great summer recipes?  I tried making my own Greek yogurt popsicles and it was a horrible flop!

 

P.S. I’m looking forward to sitting on our patio with an Iced Cappuccino tomorrow! Have you tried one of these yet?

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I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, NiftyThrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, Just Us Four and The Crafted Sparrow

Thank you to all the hosts!

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Iced Cappuccino Protein Smoothie Recipe

My friends and family will tell you that I am a picky eater.  So, when I say something is delicious, that says a lot!

In my {humble} opinion, this iced cappuccino drink is just as delicious as something you would buy at Starbucks or Tim Horton’s and I’m sure it’s a lot healthier.

FYI, I have absolutely no affiliation with Bolthouse Farms, I just happen to love their Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino drink. I buy at least 2 bottles a week.

I don’t drink coffee, tea or milk on a regular basis so this protein drink is a way for me to get a lot of nutrients, protein and calcium all in one shot, plus it’s very filling.

When I am teaching, I bring this in a reusable bottle filled with a ratio of about two thirds cappuccino to one third milk.

When I am home for lunch, I use my Magic Bullet to make this Iced Cappuccino Protein Smoothie.

 

Four ingredients and a blender, that’s all you need!

 

Ingredients

1. Ice cubes (I use 2)
2. Flavoured coffee creamer (the one I like is Caramel Macchiato)
3. Milk (any kind, even chocolate milk would work)
4. Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino drink

Instructions

* remember, I use a Magic Bullet, so adjust quantities according to your blender’s size

• Fill blender cup approximately 2/3rds full with Cappuccino drink.
• Add approximately 1/4 cup of flavoured creamer and two ice cubes.
• Fill the rest of way with milk until it is just above the cup handle.
• Blend or pulse until the ice stops grinding.

 

 

See how it thickens up?

 

You could stop here . . .

 

or, add a dollop of whipped cream!

 

(I wish I had some bright, beautifully styled photos of the finished product but it has been a rainy, overcast week so far and I just couldn’t wait any longer! By the time I discovered the photos were dark, I had already “consumed” my photo subject!!!)

 

In Canada, you can find this drink with the refrigerated salad dressings in all major grocery chain stores.

If you live in the United States, it looks like you have even more flavour options within the protein line of Bolthouse Farms drinks. Lucky you!

Will you be making your own iced cappuccino smoothie any time soon? Do you have any great recipes that I should check out?

Thanks for reading!

 

P.S. If you’re visiting for the first time, I’d love for you to check out my recap post on projects you may have missed!

Linking up here as well as to these great parties!

Thank you to all the hosts!